The Traitor
by Bopbepop
Summary: Uther Pendragon was a traitor. Arthur had expected that his father's reputation would come to haunt him. What he didn't expect was a letter from his father telling him to find Merlin. ArthurxMerlin. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own _Merlin _or any of its characters.

Pairing: ArthurxMerlin.

Summary: Uther Pendragon was a traitor to the State who went into hiding after his plans had failed. Arthur had expected that his father's reputation would come to haunt him. What he didn't expect was a letter from his father telling him to find Merlin.

* * *

Arthur was finishing his last lap when his instructor signaled him to stop and take it in the house.

The others had left, but Arthur always liked to stay behind and run a couple of extra laps, just to show the instructor and senior instructor that he was capable of a promotion and, he secretly hoped, a scholarship to Camelot Military Academy by the time he graduate. He knew that he had a bright future ahead of him.

At eighteen, he was at the top of his senior class at Camelot Junior Academy, a military high school. Since he was little, he had always wanted to work in one of Government's executive agencies or join the military. As long as he chose either of those choices, his life would be stable. Working for the private sector worried him: whenever the economy took a bad turn, the private sector could barely hold itself together.

Besides, Arthur liked the sense of orderliness of Government and Military. Albion's rigid political structure allowed stability and peace for the people, even in times of discord.

For all eighteen years of his life, Arthur had been raised by the State as a dependent ward. It was a tough life without the guidance of a father or a mother, but he managed just fine without them. The State made sure of that.

"Pendragon," the instructor said to Arthur when he was walking toward the locker room, hardly tired from twenty laps. "Report to the Council. They want to talk to you."

"Yes sir," Arthur said, wondering what the Council would want with him. Usually, members of the Council would pass messages down the chain of command, and since Arthur was only a student, he would never get to see their faces unless he got promoted to an officer twenty years from now.

Therefore, whatever business the Council wanted from him could be either extremely good or extremely bad. Arthur braced himself for the worst. He had to stay calm: one of the unspoken rule of this military school was to keep a confident front at all times, even in danger. Arthur was not going to make a fool of himself by being overly nervous.

It was hard to remember that when he was sitting in the lobby while Sophia, the secretary, shot him several looks, her pink lips pulling up into a flirty smile. Arthur looked away. Sophia was hot, but even he wasn't that desperate. Everyone knew what she had done to Valiant when they broke up.

Arthur didn't bother to hide his distaste for the woman when she signaled him to enter the Council's meeting room. "Good luck," Sophia sang, the high pitch note made foreboding rolled in his stomach.

When he heard of "the Council," he had thought that he would actually be meeting a council, as in a group of people type of council. What he did not expect was to find himself alone with Ms. Nimueh once the large wooden door shut behind him.

Nimueh, dressed in her usual deep red suit, occupied the end of a long rectangular table. She leaned back and crossed her legs, scrutinizing him. Arthur straightened himself, resting both of his hands behind his back to appear relax.

Nimueh smirked, her deep blue eyes darkened with amusement, "Sit down, Arthur." She gestured to a chair. "I am Nimueh," she offered a short introduction of herself and no more. Nimueh was right to assume that was all Arthur needed.

Everyone in the school knew who Nimueh was. They had all seen her familiar red suit hovering around campus and heard her heels clicking down the hallway. While the Council was an unfamiliar entity, high and powerful and unreachable as it was, Nimueh was pure authority, earning respect from familiarity and closeness with the student body. Yet, as Arthur sat down, Nimueh's presence at the other end of the long table was nearly frightening.

Before Arthur could ask, Nimueh said, "I am the Speaker of the Council, Arthur. The members adjourned at my request." That explained everything. The Council was nothing but a puppet. It was clear who hold the power in this school.

"Arthur Pendragon," Nimueh opened a brown manila file on her desk. "You have excellent record. Your test scores are high; your grades are in the top 10% of your class, and your physical training score is perfect."

"Thank you, ma'am," Arthur bowed respectfully. Even though she was praising him, something in her tone was troubling.

"Yet," Nimueh continued. "It would be impossible for you to get a promotion and a scholarship to Camelot Military Academy."

Arthur was stunned. _But that couldn't be!_ Just as she said, he was one of the top students of this school. He deserved that promotion and that scholarship. He needed them. His future depended on them. Arthur will never be able to live on his own without a job or a proper education.

Despite his attempt to mask his panic, it must have shown through his eyes, because Nimueh's smirk was back. _Victory!_ It seemed to say.

When Arthur's questioning gaze was on her, she clarified, "Despite your qualifications, Arthur, no one in their right mind would _ever_ consider giving anything to a _Pendragon_."

Arthur swallowed. _Of course._ The chance that he had worked so hard for simply dissipated at the mention of his name. _Pendragon_.

Arthur clenched his fist, trying to control his anger. All of his life, he had lost numerous opportunities just because he was born with that name. When Arthur was younger, the fact that his father was a traitor to Camelot had left him parentless and friendless. Now that he was older, it was about to make him homeless and futureless as well.

He had to do something: anything in order to grasp that tiny thread of hope.

"I believe, Ms. Nimueh, that if I was to be judged, it would be based on the strength of my character and not on the circumstances of my birth."

"Well said," Nimueh said, the smirk not leaving her face. "If only your father would have the same conviction and doctrine as his noble son." She sounded as if she was mocking him. "Because then, you wouldn't have to sit here without a future, hmmm?"

Arthur took in a deep breath. If he was going to try anything to save whatever chance he had, this would be the moment to do it.

"Ms. Nimueh, I assumed that you are different from my father," Arthur said, and at her raised eyebrow, he continued. "So you would not judge me based on the actions of my father, but rather, on my own actions." He paused; this next part was hard. "I am willing to do anything to prove to you and the Council that I deserve that promotion and that scholarship."

The gleam in Nimueh's eyes almost made Arthur regret saying anything. He felt as if he had just walked into a trap: that he had signed a binding contract and sealed his fate.

However, it was too late to change back now.

"Your father was a traitor to this country," Nimueh said. "During his time in Government, he had promoted anti-magic sentiment and raised a military force that threatened the security of the State. When his quest failed, he went into hiding."

Arthur did not even blink. He had heard all of this before, in numerous TV campaigns and textbooks. He was raised with this information drilled into his head.

"For years, the Government had tried to catch him," she continued. "But he disappeared without a trace, with nothing of his old life left behind, except…."

Nimueh didn't need to finish that sentence, Arthur already knew. It was a miracle, everyone had said, that Uther Pendragon, who had erased all traces of his old life, including his wife and all of his possessions, had left his son _alive._ There wasn't even a single picture of Uther Pendragon left anywhere.

"You are going to be of age today, Arthur. There is a strong possibility that your father might try to contact you. We want you to notify us right away when that happens." Nimueh then delivered that final blow. "You're a bright young man, Arthur. Don't let your father hinders you from achieving your goals in life."

Arthur nodded, "Yes ma'am." He tried to sound enthusiastic even though he was feeling sick inside.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Lance asked, leaning in so that his voice would not be carried away by the loud music. "You hated drinking."

"Nothing," Arthur shrugged, sipping more of the beer. It tasted awful, but he swallowed it down anyway.

Since today was his eighteenth birthday, Morgana, Gwen, Lance, and a group of other friends had dragged him to a bar and celebrate his "becoming a man by finally reaching the drinking age." Arthur hated drinking, but he gave in to his friends' request after abandoning them for a month to prepare for testing.

"Really? Because you have been sulking ever since we got here," Morgana chimed in, Gwen right beside her with a couple more drinks. "You didn't even blink when Vivian rubbed her breasts all over your arm."

"Not interested," Arthur said dryly. "And I was not sulking."

Despite his protest, Morgana rolled her eyes in a way that implied that yes, he indeed was sulking. Gwen snorted, "You're obviously sulking like a little girl." Then, she hastily added when Arthur gave her a look, "N-Not that you're a girl of course. I just meant that you're acting like a girl. N-Not that there's anything wrong with being a girl of course. It's just that, well…."

Morgana laughed, "Gwen, you don't have to try so hard. We know."

Gwen blushed, and the red on her face only deepened when Lance reached for her hand and grasped it in his. Arthur rolled his eyes. These two were sickeningly sweet.

The whole night passed by like a blur, and before he knew it, he was being dragged outside by Morgana, Gwen, and Lance. They sat him down onto the sidewalk while Morgana whistled for a taxi and the other two went back into the club to find Gwen's purse.

Arthur was happy, warm, and content. Humanity was amazing. Of course, the alcohol might have something to do with it, but he wasn't going to be picky.

It took Arthur a while, but after a moment of concentration, he could hear someone calling him from his right. He turned. There was no one there.

_Arthur Pendragon._ The voice whispered again.

Oh. Arthur knew this voice. He remembered it well. It was his friend, yes, his friend. He remembered now. Perfectly well, in fact.

_Arthur._

_I'm coming, I'm coming. _He thought. _Wait for me._

He was near the voice, he knew. Now, if he could just reach closer.

_Arthur._

_I'm almost there. _He told the voice. I'm almos—

"Arthur!" Morgana's shout snapped Arthur from his daze, her arms, surprisingly strong, yanked him backward. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?"

That was enough to sober him up. He looked at Morgana's fearful, angry face with confusion. "Wha—"

"Arthur!" Gwen and Lance ran toward them, barely catching their breaths. "Arthur, are you alright?"

"What happened?" he asked.

"YOU WERE ABOUT TO JUMP INTO THE LAKE!" Morgana screeched. Her perfect hair and clothes were in disarray, and her eyes, normally composed, were in panic.

"What? No I didn—" Arthur turned around to meet the sight of the broken railing, and beyond it, the Great Lake shrouded in darkness. "How?"

"I don't know! One minute you were right next to me and the next…." Morgana swallowed, unable to finish her sentence.

"We just got out of the club when we saw Morgana running after you, " Gwen said. "She was shouting for you, but you just kept running toward the lake."

"I-I…." Arthur was at a loss for words. He was looking for something, wasn't he? There was a voice, and….

That something was waiting for him. He had promised to get to it, but he failed. He had promised.

"Arthur, you alright, mate?" Lance clasped him in the back.

"I…." was all Arthur said before throwing up all over Lance's shoes.

* * *

It was Saturday morning when Arthur woke up, his head pounding from a hangover, with no memory of what happened the night before.

Treading slowly into the kitchen, he opened the fridge and took out the carton of orange juice. Since there was nothing else edible, he would have to head down to the chow hall later. Orange juice would have to do. Arthur began to chug some down until he accidentally choke and coughed the juice all over the kitchen counter.

"Shit," Arthur cursed when he saw orange splats staining numerous envelopes that were scattered carelessly by Galahad yesterday afternoon. He quickly grabbed some napkins from pizza night two days ago and wiped the juice from the letters. Well, the stains were not _that _noticeable. Besides, all of the other guys, saved for Lance, were sloppy people as well, so they wouldn't mind if he made a mess.

Arthur was about to put the orange juice carton back in the fridge before heading out for breakfast when an envelope caught his eyes. He set the carton onto the counter, tossed the dirty napkins out before picking up the letter. Sure enough, it was an envelope addressed to an _Arthur Pendragon._

In all eighteen years of his life, Arthur never had a single letter addressed to him that was not a message from the State regarding his dependency status. This letter was different.

It was actually a normal, white envelope: one of those kinds that his friends received from their parents once in a while as Arthur watched with envy, wishing that he had parents who would meddle with his life and nag him about finding a girlfriend or having safe sex.

Suddenly, Nimueh's words came back to him: _You are going to be of age today, Arthur. There is a strong possibility that your father might try to contact you. We want you to notify us right away when that happens. _

Could it be…?

There was no sender's name or address on it, just a neat, handwritten _Arthur Pendragon_. With haste, Arthur opened the envelope. He unfolded the letter inside, anticipation pounding in his chest.

The only thing written on the paper was:

_Find Merlin._

_-Uther Pendragon _


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry, I still don't own _Merlin_ or any of its characters.

Chapter summary: Arthur tried to decode his father's message by beginning his search for "Merlin."

* * *

Matthew Emmons had a particularly nice day today.

It was his fifth job this year, and so far, it was his favorite. Sure, working at a McDonald's wasn't exactly a dignified career; however, it situated him in heart of the city where he could blend in quickly with the moving mass of people without much effort.

Once he entered the crowd, he would be one of the million of faces, almost indistinguishable despite his uniquely large ears, wide blue eyes, and strange cheekbones.

Making an escape in time of need would be too easy.

The fact that he had a callous boss and apathetic coworkers was another bonus. So, whenever someone asked them for his information, all they could say would be, "Matthew who? Oh, that kid with the large ears. No, I don't know where he is." Also, the customers at McDonald's didn't really care to learn the employees' names or anything, so this job was a perfect cover.

He hated working here, yet he loved it at the same time. It was safe. The indifferent environment was safe.

Three years ago, when he was a rookie, Matthew had made the mistake of working in a small coffee shop in a little town, where everyone was friendly and knew who he was. That did not end well. Finding a gun shoved in his face was not Matthew's idea of a working day's good start.

Sure, Matthew missed his old, comfortable life where meeting nice people would not guaranteed a painful, or in some cases, bloody, end. Sure, Matthew missed his old identity, when he was just Merlin Emrys, a student at Camelot Junior Academy and not a man on the run. However, he had no choice. If he wanted to survive, he needed to live a lie.

By the time it was three thirty, Matthew's shift was over, and he changed back into his clothes before heading home.

He completed the usual round: a walk around Fifth Avenue, then around Cregar Street and some other minor streets around the area. When he was sure that no one was following him, he would take the tube to the rural area north of the city, where he would check to see if the survival pack that he buried underneath a recognizable (at least to him) tree had been disturbed.

When everything appeared to be normal, Matthew took the tube back to the city, to his tiny little house downtown. He checked several charms that he had placed around the house to see if anyone had broken in.

The final part of this routine involved checking the emergency exits and the mini survival packs around the house. Finally, when Matthew completed his daily safety routine, he went to the kitchen to grab some dinner and enjoyed another attack-free day.

Another day passed, and he still kept his life. Matthew Emmons had a particularly nice day today.

* * *

Arthur was declared a dependent ward of the State when he was only a few months old. With his mother's death, and his father's disappearance, Arthur lived in several foster homes and went to several different schools until he was old enough to enroll in a State school: the Camelot Junior Academy. As he grew up, he was often compared to his father, so when he enrolled in school, he became a Junior State Military Cadet to prove himself.

Throughout his life, Arthur firmly believed (or so he said) that if his father didn't need him, then fine, he didn't need his father either. However, he always felt envious of other students who were fortunate enough to keep one or both parents.

Usually fathers, as Arthur had understood, generally cared for their children and wanted that best for them.

Uther Pendragon, however, exceeded the expectations of a father. Not only did he betray his country and erase everything from his old life, including his wife, he had also pretended for the last eighteen years that Arthur did not exist.

So, when Arthur received the first letter from his father, he had expected something significant: something that would explain the reason for his betrayal and absence from Arthur's life for eighteen years.

Instead, all Uther Pendragon left for his son was a random message about finding someone named 'Merlin.' No "Sorry son, I have been a bad father to you." No "Sorry son, but I really am not a traitor and this is all a big misunderstanding."

Just "Find Merlin."

Eighteen years and the man did not bother to issue an apology. He decided to give Arthur an order instead.

To say that Arthur was disappointed would be an understatement.

_Well, screw him_. He thought. His father had betrayed his country and his family. Arthur wasn't going to listen to him.

Suddenly, he remembered Nimueh's words. _There is a strong possibility that your father might try to contact you. We want you to notify us right away when that happens._

This brought up another problem: _should he inform Nimueh that his father tried to contact him?_ He probably should. Arthur was already on Nimueh's black list for being a Pendragon, he shouldn't push his luck by keeping secrets from her.

But also, how was he so sure that this letter was from his father and not some kind of trick? Arthur never knew his father: he didn't know anything about the man except for what he was taught.

Uther Pendragon, who had wasted so much effort to erase his old life, would not make a careless mistake and allow any information noting his existence leaked out. Certainly not to his teenage son who was dependent on State Government, the people hunting him. Unless Uther Pendragon had some very good reasons to risk his life in such a way.

Another odd thing was the fact that the school mail filter did not pick up on this letter. Usually, the system would scan all incoming mails for any information regarding escape criminals and such. Surely, the name Uther Pendragon would be picked up by the filter.

_What if…._

What if the letter was from an inside source within the school?

Arthur swallowed. Yes, that made sense. A letter without sender's information would be destroyed by the mail filter for safety purposes. Therefore, the only way for this letter to survive was for it to be sent by someone within the school.

Uther must have had someone within Camelot Junior Academy giving him information. Even going so far as watching Arthur. Which would explain why he never attempted to find out how Arthur was doing. He already knew.

Perhaps Merlin was the "insider."

Arthur's heart pounded faster as his brain processed all of this new information and formed possible theories. However, despite his talent for reasoning, Arthur had no evidence. All he had was a piece of paper telling him to find a Merlin.

He should tell Nimueh.

Yet, Arthur found that he couldn't. He wanted to find Uther: he wanted to face the man in person. He wanted the answers that were denied to him for eighteen years. Then, when he had what he wanted, he would notify Nimueh, and she could do whatever to him as she wished.

He will find the truth.

* * *

_Data base error: no search result for Merlin._

_Damn._

Arthur wanted to smash the keyboard against the monitor in frustration. He had tried everything: people search, event search, location search, map search, landmark search, religion search…etc… The closest he got was Merlin the wizard, and not even Arthur was that dense.

Arthur had spent the last week searching for the so call "Merlin." He knew that information about Merlin must be accessible within the school. Any ex-Government and Military man like Uther Pendragon would be smart enough to understand that he should only send cryptic information ONLY when his recipient could identify it from sources within his disposal.

But nothing came up. His frustration was notably showing, and his friends were quite concerned.

"So, are you going to pull that stick out of your ass and tell us what's wrong? Or do we have to go through another week of 'you have problems, I have problems, let's deny them'?" Morgana asked as she plopped down onto the seat next to him.

"Morgana!" Arthur hissed. "Quiet! This is a library!"

"I know what it is, Arthur. I'm not that slow," Morgana rolled her eyes. Arthur wanted to roll his eyes back. Really, he thought that Morgana's eye-rolling was getting old, but it never failed to make him feel like he was doing something foolish.

"You've been acting strangely since your birthday last week," Morgana began, and Arthur could hear the unsaid words without them being voiced: _Are we going to talk about your suicidal tendencies last week after the club?_

"I'm fine, Morgana," Arthur said. "I'm just tired from last month's exams."

"And this exhaustion caused you to search through the school's entire data base for some hypothetical person, place, or thing called Merlin for the past week?" Morgana drawled out.

"No," Arthur said slowly, as if he was speaking to a child. "I only started to search for Merlin randomly today because I was bored to death with my library shift."

Morgana raised an eyebrow in a way that told Arthur: I knew you're lying to me, Arthur. You never could, ever since you were ten and I knew that the picture of the naked butt hanging in the library archive was yours.

"No," Morgana drawled again. "You're been searching for Merlin for the past week. I know because I worked in Technical Records, remember?"

Technical Records was the department that dealt with students' computer and internet activities. They monitored every single computer for anything unusual or suspicious.

_Wait a minute._

"Wait, you guys have a log of my computer activities?" Arthur asked.

"Hello? That is, I don't know, MY JOB?" Morgana said, jutting out her chin for emphasis. "Monitor students' computer activities for the good of the State, or something like that."

Something cold trickled down Arthur's spine. "And anyone could have access to this log?"

"Well, the only people who read this information are the Council members," Morgana explained. "And the Archive people are the ones who remove or block data base information if necessary, under the orders of the Council."

"Arthur, what's wrong?" Morgana asked when she saw that Arthur had gone pale. "There's nothing bad about searching for Merlin," she tried to console him, but it wasn't working. "Arthur?"

But Arthur's mind was too busy processing Morgana's earlier words to reply. The Council knew his computer activities. Nimueh knew his computer activities. They knew that he was searching for Merlin.

So much for keeping the search a secret.

And Archive people were the ones who remove or block data base information if necessary, under the orders of the Council. That might be why Arthur could not find anything on Merlin, even if Merlin's information existed in the data base.

And if the Council or Nimueh did not want Arthur to know what or who Merlin was, then this problem was more extensive than he originally thought.

Shit. Arthur panicked. What if Nimueh suspected him of being a traitor already?

Morgana was worried. Arthur was off into his own world again, shutting everything and everyone out, just as he had done when he learned what his father did. She gingerly touched his arm. "Arthur?"

"Arthur?" Morgana nudged him gently. _Come back, Arthur_. "Arthur, it's alright."

"Yeah," said Arthur, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Sure."

"Arthur, I," Morgana began, but hesitated because she knew how much Arthur hated asking for help. "I know that there are some troubles that you're going through right now, but I want you to know that I'm your friend, that Gwen and Lance are your friends, and you can trust us."

Arthur glanced up at Morgana, at her hard but honest and warm eyes, and knew that her words were true. "Thanks, Morgana."

* * *

After that strange and heartwarming moment between them, Arthur expected everything to return to normal, and for both of them to deny that it ever happened. What he did not expect was Morgana's smug face the next Monday morning at school when she strutted up next to him before plopping down comfortably onto the grass without checking to see if the dampness would stain her uniform skirt green.

"Here," she said, handing him a blue folder. "Read it and weep."

"If this is another of your award that I have to look at while you gloat, then really Morgana, I don't have time for it," Arthur said, but he reached for the folder anyway.

She snorted. "Oh please, you should be bowing down and kissing my feet for all of the trouble I have to go through for this information. Just for you, I might add."

"What is it?" Arthur asked, opening the folder. And froze when he saw the paperwork inside.

There was one-inch thick stack of numerous documents, the first being an obituary. On the very top of the paper, printed in the neat Times New Roman font was the name _Merlin Emrys_.

"At first, I didn't know which Merlin I should look for," Morgana said. "But since a search on people who are alive has no result, I decided to do a search on the list of deaths recorded instead. I knew that whoever it is that you're looking for must have some kind of connection to you, so," she gestured for Arthur to turn the page.

The next document was a newspaper article. The heading read, "Twenty students killed by the notorious ex-Congressman Uther Pendragon."

In line 13, highlighted in yellow by Morgana, was the name Merlin Emrys listed as one of the students who died. _His body was burned beyond recognition_, the article said.

Arthur swallowed. Why would his father tell him to search for a dead man? One that he had killed, no less.

"Arthur," Morgana said slowly. "I know that your father has always been a touchy subject for you, considering…what he had done."

Arthur sent her a warning look, but she continued anyway. "But Arthur, for the past eighteen years, you've never shown any interest in finding out in detail who he is. So, why are you going through all the trouble to find out now?"

Arthur took a deep breath. This was the very question that he had asked himself, repeatedly for the past week. _Why?_

"I have to know, Morgana. I have to know what he had done and why he had done it, or if any of it is true. And," Arthur sighed. "I can't deny that things had happened, Morgana. I have to come into terms with what he did, so that….I can live knowing that I'm nothing like him."

Arthur had grown up in a childhood where some people commented on how much he resembled his father: strong, intelligent, and quick. But he had also grown up in a childhood where other people taught him what a terrible, evil man his father was.

"Oh, Arthur, " Morgana said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You know you're nothing like your father. You're not going to end up like him."

"Really?" Arthur drawled. "Because he probably thought that to himself to: that he isn't going to "end up" like that. And look at where he is now."

"Arthur, I want you to promise me that you won't so anything stupid that would get yourself killed," Morgana said seriously.

"You know I can't promise that, Morgana," Arthur said.

"Well, if you're going to do something _utterly stupid_, then let me help you at least," Morgana held up a hand to stop Arthur from commenting. "And before you start to say anything, may I remind you _who_ actually found the information on the so-called 'Merlin'?"

"Thank you, Morgana," Arthur said grumpily, partly to give Morgana the compliment she was fishing for and partly to prevent himself from starting another argument with her.

"That's right," she smirked before her voice softened. "And remember, you do have friends, and we're not as helpless as you think."

"The grass is staining your skirt green, Morgana," Arthur said as a form of gratitude.

Morgana glared at him, but she checked her skirt anyway. "Shit," she stood up and tried to wipe it, but gave up. "Eh, whatever. You coming for lunch?"

"Yeah, but I have to stop by Gaius to say goodbye first," Arthur stood up and grabbed his bag, preparing to leave.

"Oh that's right, he's retiring. Alright, meet us at the chow hall when you're done. Lance and Gwen will get in a fit if they found out that you've scurry off to be depressing all by yourself again."

Arthur rolled his eyes. He had been doing that a lot lately. "Yeah, I'll see you in a while."

* * *

Gaius was one of his favorite teachers at school. Biology was Arthur's worst subject, but Gaius was a brilliant instructor, and he often offered Arthur after class tutoring. Whenever Arthur needed advice, Gaius was there to give it to him. The man was almost like a father that he never had.

"Gaius?" Arthur called out as he stepped into the lab. The familiar scent of chemicals smelled like home.

"I'm in here, Arthur," Gaius replied. Arthur followed the sound of his voice into the equipment storage room.

Gaius was rearranging the beakers when Arthur walked in. "So, you're leaving," Arthur said, still having a hard time processing that fact.

"Yes," Gaius said. "I'm too old to be chasing after youngsters demanding homework these days." When Gaius tried to lift up a box filled with identical lab notebooks, Arthur reached out and lifted it for him. "Here, let me."

"Thank you, Arthur. Could you please bring it to the classroom for me?"

"Of course," Arthur said, walking through the lab door connecting to the classroom while Gaius followed him. After Arthur set the box down onto the table, he found the elderly man watching him with a troubled gaze.

Arthur wanted to ask him what was wrong, but what he said instead was, "Umm, I know that I haven't thank you properly for all the times that you have helped me, so….I just wanted to say "thanks." You know, for everything."

Gaius smiled. "You don't have to thank me, Arthur. It was an honor for me to work with a bright young mind like you."

"Thank you," Arthur was abashed by the compliment. "And, umm, I just wanted you to know that I've always seen you as an uncle of sort." He scratched the back of his neck. "So thank you."

Gaius' eyes were warm, and there was something like determination in them. "And I have always seen you as my own nephew. If you ever need anything, Arthur, feel free to contact me."

"Thank you," Arthur said.

"Arthur?" Gwen poked her head through the classroom door. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I'll be right there," Arthur replied before turning back to Gaius. "I'll be going now. Goodbye, Gaius."

Gaius grabbed Arthur's lab book from the box and handed it to him. "Goodbye Arthur. You take care of yourself now."

"I will," Arthur gave his teacher one last smile before leaving.

* * *

There were not much about Merlin Emrys that Arthur did not know about.

After thanking Morgana again for the fiftieth time, he had been reading the one-inch thick folder on Merlin for the past week. From the information that the school had on the teen, Arthur learned everything from his childhood to his school days to his mother's death.

He also knew that Merlin was a sorcerer by blood, and a Dragonlord at that, which made him the perfect target for anti-magic hate crime led by Uther Pendragon.

Merlin Emrys, born in January 1st, 1992, was also a Junior State Military Cadet assigned to the first division due to his high MR and PT scores, very much like Arthur. Three years ago, he and nineteen others from the first division were sent on a mock training mission when they were all killed after intercepting Uther Pendragon.

After that incident, furious protest forced the school to shut down the mock training program. Arthur was only in the fifth division at that time, so he didn't know who Merlin was until now.

However, despite the enormous amount of information in front of him, Arthur could not formulate any possible theory why Uther would want him to "find Merlin."

Merlin had stood for everything that Uther hated. Merlin was killed by Uther.

Did Uther feel remorse? Was he seeking redemption?

Arthur rubbed the bridge of his nose and stopped reading to calm his headache down. He had been working for a while now and had reached no conclusion.

Even Galahad, who held a seriousness only five year-old could have, had commented on Arthur's hermitic behavior. All of his friends were worried. _Are you alright, mate? _In which Arthur replied: _Yeah, I'm fine _even though he wasn't.

Closing the blue folder shut, Arthur leaned back on his chair and ran a hand through his hair. Today was a ridiculously tedious day.

Taking a deep breath, he reached for his old lab book, wanting to skim through his old work just for fun. It was always entertaining to see how much mistakes he had made when he first started the course and how much he had grown from them.

However, when Arthur flipped through the pages, he realized that this was not his notebook. Gaius probably gave him the wrong one by accident. The wild scratches were impossible to read, yet this student, whoever he or she was, received high mark for every single one.

When Arthur closed the book and checked the spine for the student's name, he was shock to find the hasty scribbling of "_Merlin Emrys. Year 6." _

* * *

_**Thank you everyone for the positive responses so far. Your encouraging words motivated me to update this story as quickly as I can.**_

_**No, Arthur did not confront Merlin yet. I did not want Merlin to be found that easily. He was, after all, supposed to be dead. ;D**_

_**Preview for the next chapter**_: Arthur finally stopped staring at the teen's over-sized ears to focus on his words."You have ten seconds to give me a reason why I shouldn't put a bullet in your skull right now." Matthew--no, _Merlin--_ said, the grip on his pistol firm and the tone of his voice strong despite his slender physique.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter summary: Arthur had 48 hours before the school officially reported his absence to the police. He had to act fast.

* * *

It was early morning when Lance knocked on Arthur's door, calling out, "Arthur, if you don't get moving then you're going to be late." Arthur had been acting strangely for several weeks now; however, his behavior only gotten worse since Discovery Day last week.

He withdrew from any group activity with his friends, he locked himself inside his room right after school for hours, and he often threw suspicious looks at Ms. Nimueh whenever the clicking of her heels echoed down the hall. Even Morgana, who was the genius that snapped Arthur out of his obsession with Sophia, could not do anything about it.

"Arthur," Lance knocked harder. This was strange. Arthur was obsessed with performing well in school, especially since his goal was to obtain that military scholarship. Usually, Arthur was the one that tried to wake Lance up.

"Arthur!" Lance was banging on the door now. Arthur was a light sleeper: even the smallest of noises could have him alert within a second. There was no way he could not have heard that.

"What's wrong?" Galahad yawned, barely getting out of his room.

"Arthur had been in his room since last night, and he didn't even come out to get breakfast this morning," Lance replied, and Galahad frowned. Something was seriously wrong. Lance tried to turn the door knob, but of course, it was locked. He looked at Galahad for a second, before both of them stepped back.

Lance charged forward with his forearm in front of him. The door burst open at the impact. Both Lance and Galahad rushed inside the room. "Arthur?" they called out.

But the room was empty.

* * *

Camelot Junior Academy was the third safest place in Albion: the second being Camelot Military Academy and the first being the Government Complex in Mercia. Security here was tight, and it had become increasingly so after the protest in 1992.

Given such facts, Arthur Pendragon had expected his little adventure to be interrupted by the guards catching him and leading him to the Council, where he would undoubtedly be disciplined. However, Arthur was surprised to find his escape relatively _easy._

The plan was simple. On Friday morning at three o'clock, several trucks were going to deliver some hundred pounds of tomatoes for the school's annual food fight on Saturday. All he had to do was snuck in the back of the truck, hid underneath the plastic covering, and waited until the trucks leave.

Arthur knew that he would not be discovered by the guards because this week, Frank and Scott were the ones on duty, and they only checked the trucks as they came in, but not when they left.

Once the trucks drove into the main city, Arthur got out when the drivers stopped by a café to get some breakfast.

Originally, Arthur wasn't even going to go this far to find his father. After the Merlin dead-end, he was going to quit and continued his business as usual: mystery letter be damned.

That was, until Discovery Day, when the Council—the real one with Nimueh as the Head—informed him in person that despite the excellence of his application, he wasn't going to get the promotion to the next rank because of "personal circumstances." Thus, Arthur was not going to receive the military scholarship because he was one rank short of the requirement, despite his high credentials.

Arthur was disappointed, yes, even more so when all of his applications from different colleges, Camelot Military Academy included, had been denied despite his academic and extracurricular achievements. All of his friends had received their acceptances, even Galahad, who always arrived to classes late.

He couldn't tell his friends that he would not be joining them next year at CMA. So when they went out to celebrate, he had stayed behind and lied that he was tired.

Morgana had been supportive. "It's not the end of the world, you know," she tried to console him, but no avail. Even she knew that Arthur's chance of making it into the real world was slim. Especially since his failures had proved to him that even though he had achieved great things, his father's past was enough to stop him from succeeding in the future.

To add on to his misery, his application for a work permit was also denied. Arthur had no other choice left.

So Arthur had decided to skip graduation next week to find his father. He had no plans for the future now. At least the search for his father was a direction. At least the search would give him something to work for.

So, Arthur Pendragon found himself walking down the bustling streets of Camelot with a hastily scribbled address in his hand and a backpack of supplies on his shoulders.

He was going to stop by Gaius' place first. Arthur did not know whether Gaius had given him Merlin's lab notebook on purpose or by accident, so he was going to find out.

_Gaius was the key_, he thought. After extensive research (something that he had to beg Morgana for), he discovered that Gaius was his father's campaign manager when Uther first ran for a Congressional seat with the Conservative Party. He lost that election. On the next election, Uther added anti-magic policies on his political agenda, which prompted Gaius to part ways with him. Interestingly, his father won that election.

If he needed a place to start, Gaius would be it.

Arthur tightened the straps of his backpack and pushed through the morning crowd on the street. People were rushing to get to work or to school, and he envied them for having such stability: no fathers who betrayed the country to worry about.

Arthur knew that he needed to go south, so he took the bus out of the city. Gaius's salary throughout his life was high, but he preferred to live a simple life in a smaller town—Ealdor—it was called. It was his home for thirty years.

After Arthur got off the bus, he headed west. Gaius's house was on Sutton Street, and according to Morgana, it was a "horrid little yellow thing."

He was lost at first. Apparently, since Ealdor was a small town, the occupants decided that they needed no street signs to direct them to places. Mind you, they were probably right. However, Arthur was a newcomer, and he lacked the navigation experience that these people had.

Luckily for Arthur, Gaius used to be a physician here, and he painted his house yellow so that his patients or any newcomer could easily find it. After a few minutes wandering around town, he spotted it right away.

However, before Arthur headed down what he assumed to be Sutton Street, he hesitated at the sight in front of him.

Several blue cars, painted with a single white stripe around them, were parked around the house. Several others were circling around the streets, monitoring what was undoubtedly Gaius's house closely. Arthur recognized the emblem on the cars right away: it was the Camelot city police.

Arthur swallowed and walked on ahead, turning left at the corner instead of the right that led to Sutton Street. He was going to get out of this place, but he wasn't going to blatantly turn around and make himself look suspicious.

"Hey," one the police drove up from behind him. _Fuck, _Arthur thought. He contemplated running, but decided against it: he'll be caught within seconds.

The officer called out louder when Arthur didn't stop. "Hey, kid, I'm talking to you."

Arthur stopped nervously, something cold trailing down his spine. He didn't want to get caught this early in his search.

_What could he do? _If he continued walking and pretended not to hear the man, it would be suspicious. If he ran, he wouldn't get very far. If he stopped, he might get arrested for skipping school.

Arthur turned slowly to face the officer.

"Your backpack is open," he said. Arthur looked at his backpack. Sure enough, it was open. He zipped it shut and said, "Thanks."

"Didn't school ended yesterday for Ealdor High?" the officer asked.

"I had to registered for summer school," Arthur lied. "I failed biology," he added for good measure.

The policeman laughed, and Arthur relaxed. He was being paranoid for nothing. "I wasn't that good in science when I was in high school either," the officer smiled. "Failed chemistry twice."

They both chuckled at that. "It's a pretty tough course," Arthur admitted. "I barely passed it with a sixty percent."

"Wow," the policeman said. "That's higher than my score. You know, I have a son your age, but he goes to Camelot Junior Academy."

Arthur whistled in fake admiration. "Must be a pretty smart kid then. CJA is a bitch to get in."

The office sent Arthur a disapproving look at his use of slang, but it looked more amused than accusing. Arthur gave him a helpless shrug, and the policeman let out another chuckle.

It must be a normal thing for people in Ealdor to talk randomly and be friendly to people around them, even strangers. Arthur had learned on Career Shadow day at school that police officers usually adopted some customs of the area they worked in. This, in theory, would make the citizens living in that area more comfortable with their presence.

Taking advantage of this fact, Arthur asked casually. "So, what did old Gaius do to make you guys come all the way down here?"

The policeman lost some of his easygoing attitude. "It's not that serious. Nothing you have to worry about."

"Okay," Arthur said. He had learned that whenever an officer of the law told a civilian that there was "nothing to worry about" that there was in fact something very serious. Instead of voicing that aloud, however, Arthur simply said, "Just curious. I'm going to head home now before my mom freaks out. See you later, officer."

It was better to fake nonchalance than to incite suspicion by appearing _too interested._

"Goodbye," the policeman said. "You be safe now. And good luck with your bio summer course."

"Thanks," Arthur gave the man small wave before walking away.

* * *

The restaurant was by Ealdor's main road, near the bus stop, so it was full of customers when Arthur came in at noon. It was a nice, bright place, with large glass windows and white ceiling fans swirling above. Arthur did not want to waste what little money he had saved from summer jobs, but he was hungry, and he needed a place to sit and gather his thoughts together. He chose an empty booth in the back, a fair distant from the main crowd, and close to the back exit.

Swinging his backpack off his shoulders, Arthur leaned back into the chair and signed. There was no way that he could get to Gaius, at least, not with what little resource was with him. Arthur wondered why the police was there in the first place. Had Gaius done something?

Or maybe the police was waiting for him. What if Nimueh discovered what Arthur was going to do and sent the police after him?

Arthur dismissed that notion right away. If that was true, then the officer that Arthur talked to would recognize him and try to arrest him right away.

He wanted to contact Morgana, but he knew he shouldn't. He already placed her in danger by asking her to hack into the school system and get him information; he shouldn't make her do anything else that would place her under suspicion.

He needed to figure out what he was going to do next. Arthur knew that he had 48 hours before the school officially reported his absence to the police, so he had to take advantage of this freedom before he either decided to return to school or go into hiding. Returning to school was not an option—there was no future for him there—and since he already decided to find his father, the second option was the one to choose.

So now, he had to figure out how to find his father.

Well, maybe he could take a small break from everything right now. So while he waited for the waiter to get to him, Arthur began observing his environment. Most were locals, and they sat near one another.

One man, in particular, was sitting on the counter, a little bit far away from everyone else. A stranger to the town, perhaps. However, within a few seconds, one of the regulars took a seat next to him and started talking to him. Apparently, he was the new trucker who delivered the restaurant their supplies since the other trucker was sick. Patrick was his name. Friendly town, Ealdor was, welcoming a newcomer like that.

"Are you ready to order?" the waiter broke Arthur's train of thoughts.

Arthur glanced up to a boy his age with stubborn gray eyes and light brown hair. _William_, the name tag said.

"I'll have," Arthur glanced briefly at the menu. "A double cheese burger with fries."

"Any drink?" William scribbled the order down on his small notepad.

"Just water, thanks," Arthur said. _This boy looks familiar, _Arthur thought. _I saw him somewhere before._

_Wait a minute._

When the waiter left, Arthur opened his backpack to grab Merlin's lab notebook. This Merlin was a very messy person, so his biology notebook had other papers tucked inside too, like math worksheets, random notes he passed in class, or other miscellaneous things. One of them was a photo.

Arthur pulled out the photo of two smiling teens: one with bright blue eyes, bowl haircut, and unusually large ears, and the other one with an arm around his shoulder. In the back of the picture was a hastily written '_Merlin & Will, 7/15/2006.'_

This other boy was the waiter.

It was definitely him. Even though he looked older now, his facial features did not change that much in four years.

When William came back and placed his order on the table, Arthur decided to check, "Hey."

"What?"

Arthur sure hoped that whatever he remembered from psychology class was right. "Do you know a Merlin around here?" He asked bluntly. Nothing worked better than the element of surprise.

Something flickered in the waiter's eyes for a second, and then gone the next, but Arthur caught it. "No, I don't know any Merlin," William replied curtly before turning away and headed to another table to get their orders. Although it was not noticeable, he walked stiffly, a bit self-conscious because he was trying too hard to appear unaffected.

Later on, as Arthur was eating his lunch, he caught the waiter looking in his direction several times. _He knows something_, Arthur thought. _He knows something about Merlin._

After he finished his meal, Arthur strapped on his backpack again and headed out the door. William left to the back of the restaurant for his break, so it was time to move. Arthur walked down the street toward the bus stop. Once he was out of the view of the restaurants however, he went left and headed around to the back of the restaurant. There was an entrance where the delivery truck could park and unload the supplies.

The door was wide open, so Arthur just walked in. He wandered around, passing the storage area through another door. Arthur moved down the narrow hallway, dimly lit by fluorescent bulbs overhead, wondering how he was going to confront William.

"Who are you?" A voice rang out, starling Arthur. She was a waitress here, Arthur realized, when he saw the nametag "Freya" pinned on her left breast pocket.

"I'm," Arthur began, scrambling for a good lie. "With new the truck driver. Patrick? He's my uncle, and I'm just tagging along with him."

When Freya looked unconvinced, he continued. "We're eating out in front, but I have to go to the restroom. Since the main on out there is full," This next part was going to be tricky. "Will said I could use the one in the back."

"Oh," Freya smiled, instantly friendlier at his explanation. The mention of William, her friend, especially since it was said in such a familiar manner reassured her of Arthur's harmlessness.

"I'm a bit lost, I'm afraid," Arthur said sheepishly, turning on his full charm with a smile.

Freya was practically swooning. "You could use the restroom in the men's locker room. Just head down that hallway and take a left. It should be the first door on the right." Suddenly, her cell phone rang out, echoing down the hallway. Freya pressed a button to silent it. "Shhh," she put a finger to lips. "Don't tell. I'm supposed to leave my phone in the locker room and not have it with me while I work."

"I won't," Arthur gave her another smile. "Thanks, Freya."

"You're welcome," said Freya. "I'll see you later then."

* * *

Arthur was going to open the door to the locker room when the muffled voice from the inside stopped him.

"No, Merlin, I don't know who…."

Startled, he pressed his ear to the door. "Yes, he was asking for you."

"No, he didn't exactly….I don't know….so….I'll be careful……I won't say anything…yeah, I'll call you back…..bye."

Arthur had a choice of confronting William right now, or waiting until he was gone to raid the locker for any information on Merlin. Based on what little he had heard of the conversation, he figured that he probably wouldn't get much out of William other than, "Merlin who?" Also, even if William was to give Arthur anything, it might mislead him, stalling time.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps became louder.

There was a door down in the left. Arthur opened it and rushed inside: he probably needed to be out of sight if he didn't want to confront William yet. The smell of chemicals and the broom that he just kicked told him that he was in the janitor's closet.

Just a mere five seconds later, William appeared from the locker room and walked down the hallway back to work. Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. That was close.

Once the sound of footsteps faded away, Arthur waited for about five more minutes before getting out of the closet and walking in the locker room.

It was a small room with a single row of gray lockers standing along the right wall. On the left was the entrance to the men's shower and restroom.

Arthur spotted the locker right away. "_William's. No trespassing," _the sign said, but Arthur ignored it and prepared to use a pin to open the lock, when he realized with amusement and relief that William had forgotten to close his locker completely.

The inside of the locker was unspectacular. There were things littered about, but the only thing that he needed was….

When Arthur saw William's cell phone resting on top of a pair of old sweats, he smiled. _Victory._

* * *

Everything was relatively easy after that. Arthur had copied the number that was last dialed on the phone and left the restaurant through the back before anyone found out.

When Arthur had turned sixteen, Morgana gave him a laptop for his birthday. She was so proud of it because it was the first thing she had bought with her own money, not her parents'. "I've save up for two years," she said. "So you better take good care of it." Arthur was too dignified to cry, but he hugged her and did not let go for a long time because _Morgana_ had done this for him. Morgana, who was his older sister even though they were not related by blood, had supported him anyway she could.

So this laptop was his most beloved possession. He would never admit this in front of Morgana, of course.

It was strange how he started thinking about all of this as the laptop began to warm up. As he reflected on his past, Arthur wondered if what he was doing was the right decision. Shouldn't he stayed behind with Morgana and the others and just waited for life to come and does its job?

_No_. Arthur thought firmly. He wasn't going to wait and accept life for what it was without doing anything. That will never be enough.

After the trip to Ealdor, Arthur returned to Camelot, desperate for the familiarity. Only half of the day had passed, and he was already exhausted. At least the serene atmosphere of this coffee house calmed him down a bit.

As soon as his computer was up, Arthur ran the Navigation System. He typed in the number that he got from William's phone and clicked on "search." An address popped up within five minutes:

2345 Main Street

Wessex, Albion 97084-09123

Wessex was a good distance from Camelot. However, if he started now, he could be there by early morning tomorrow.

Arthur sighed as he thought of the long road ahead of him. Disconnecting his internet and shutting his laptop, Arthur placed it in his backpack before heading down the streets once more.

* * *

2345 Main Street of Wessex turned out to be a McDonald's. Arthur was bewildered, at first. Of all the places that this Merlin person could have hid in, it had to be one of the busiest, most crowded and therefore the most dangerous place for a person in hiding to be in.

It took Arthur a while to recognize Merlin after he ordered that Big Mac combo. Arthur was shocked, actually, to find that Merlin was very much _alive_ and _breathing._ Yes, the events of the past few days suggested that; however, actually seeing this as reality was a different story.

This was the moment that he had worked so hard for. Yesterday night, on the train, Arthur had sat wide awake watching the moon hanging from his window, surprisingly not tired despite having quite an exciting day. _It is almost the end_, he had thought. Once he found Merlin, it would all be over: he would find the truth. Although anticipation kept him on edge, a little dread reminded him that he would have no direction, nowhere to go after this.

Merlin Emrys was really alive.

_Matthew Emmons_, the name tag said.

Merlin looked different now. Three years of mystery lengthened his hair and shadowed his wide blue eyes. He even dyed his hair a caramel color that definitely did not suit him; however, the strands did manage to conceal his ears in a way: making them looked almost normal. Arthur almost didn't recognize him until he noticed the sharpness of Matthew's cheekbones.

When Arthur's mind finally returned to the present situation, Merlin was giving him a weird look. "Sir, it's 5:30 AM."

"So?" Arthur was confused. Did he blank out and missed something important?

"Sir, it's morning," Merlin said. "Don't you want something that is more of a breakfast food?"

"Of course I want breakfast," Arthur replied, a little irked with Merlin's condescending tone. "That's why I'm here."

"That's good to know," _Was that sarcasm?_ "But are you sure you want a Big Mac this early in the morning."

Arthur blinked. "I don't want a Big Mac."

Looking at Arthur as if he was a piece of gum stuck to his own shoes, Merlin clarified. "Sir, you just ordered a Big Mac."

"No, I didn't," Arthur frowned, although he knew that Merlin was telling the truth. Whenever he did not get his full hours of rest, he tended to be quite strange, according to his friends. "_You propositioned me_," Lance told him once, but he didn't remember anything about saying _that_. He reasoned that if they were not naked and grinding against one another, then he probably said no such thing. It was faulty logic, but Arthur did not want to feel the full blow of embarrassment.

Merlin sighed in exasperation. "So, what would you like to order now, sir?"

Feeling particularly mischievous today, Arthur said: "A Big Mac."

"But you just said…." Merlin looked like he would very much prefer to bury Arthur alive.

"I know what I've said," Arthur drawled. "And I'm a customer, and customers are always right," he gestured to a sign glued on the register.

When Merlin clenched his jaws and simply complied with his words, Arthur felt a bit victorious and a bit disappointed that their mindless banter did not continue.

_So this is Merlin._

After he got his order, Arthur tried very hard to not smirk at the teen in front of him. Merlin did nothing but glared at him until the next customer came in.

* * *

Arthur grimaced as he bit the burger. Eating fatty food such as this always made him sick in the morning. He loosened the straps of his backpack a bit to make himself more comfortable.

Now that he found Merlin, he had to formulate a clear plan of action. He had to figure out how to approach him on the subject of Uther Pendragon without the other freaking out and possibly pointing a gun at him.

Now that Arthur thought about it, _where was Merlin? _He was working at the counter three minutes ago when Arthur checked. However, another girl was taking over Merlin's job.

_Shit._

Arthur rushed to the counter, "Excuse me, where did Me—Matthew—go?" he asked.

"Who?" the girl looked annoyed. "Sir, you need to get in line," she gestured to the line of people waiting to order.

"I need to know where Matthew Emmons is," Arthur gritted out in frustration.

"Sir, I need you to get in line."

"But I only need…."

"Sir, please get in line or I will call security."

_Damn. _Arthur did not bother to waste another second here. Since Merlin could not have leave through the front or else Arthur would have noticed, he must have gone through the back. Before the cashier could react, Arthur braced one hand on the counter and leaped over it.

"Hey!" She cried out. "Stop him!"

But Arthur moved to quick for all of them. Years of training as a Junior State Military Cadet allowed him to past the numerous attempts to stop him with ease. _"Left…left…left"_ He remembered his instructor called cadence as they ran around the obstacle course.

Bursting into a hall way in the back, Arthur followed the exit signs leading him to a door that opened to a back alley way. "Hey!" he shouted at Merlin who was rushing to his car.

Before Merlin could start running, Arthur leaped forward and tackled him to the ground.

"Get off of me," Merlin started pushing him off, and even though he was quite strong for someone of his physique, Arthur was undoubtedly stronger.

"Stop," Arthur said. "I just want to talk to you," he pulled both of Merlin's hands and held them behind his back. "Calm down, I just want to talk to you," Arthur repeated, knowing that words might be lost in time of panic.

"I just want to talk to you," Arthur said again, and as the words sunk in, Merlin ceased his struggling.

"Now, if I let you go, will you stay and listen to what I have to say?" Arthur asked slowly.

Merlin nodded, and as soon as Arthur let go of him, he wrapped his legs around Arthur's knees, twisted his body around, and used the momentum to punch Arthur in the face. As Arthur fell back on his ass, groaning, Merlin pulled out the pistol strapped on his ankle and pointed it at Arthur.

"Who are you?" Merlin asked. When Arthur did not answer, he shouted. "Who ARE you?"

Arthur rose slowly, his jaw throbbing from Merlin's punch. He raised two hands above his head. _Damn, he's fast, _Arthur thought, studying with interest how Merlin's face, which looked innocent before, had transformed within seconds.

Arthur finally stopped staring at the teen's over-sized ears to focus on his words."You have ten seconds to give me a reason why I shouldn't put a bullet in your skull right now." Matthew--no, _Merlin--_ said, the grip on his pistol firm and the tone of his voice strong despite his slender physique.

"I just wanted to talk to you. I'm Arthur P—"

However, before Arthur could finish his words, the screeching of car tires at the end of the alley interrupted him. Two back cars were heading their way with breakneck speed, and Arthur did not have a second to pull his thoughts together when Merlin shouted. "Get in the car!"

Arthur was a bit disoriented, so he did not follow Merlin's order at first. "GET IN THE CAR NOW!" Merlin ran to his car. Arthur followed him and barely got in the passenger side when a bullet shot the glass window next to him into pieces.

_Oh shit, _Arthur thought before Merlin accelerated the car forward into the main road while the popping sound of raining bullets trailed after them.

* * *

**Yay, another chapter completed_._ All of your reviews are great, and I'm glad to be writing for an awesome group of readers!**

**Preview for the next chapter:**"Wow," Merlin said sarcastically. "That's the basic rule of a military mission, and you don't know that? And you called yourself the valedictorian of the first division?"

"Shut up," Arthur scowled, trying to think of a retort. There was no way he was going to be insulted like that by a drop-out, let alone one that was supposed to be _dead_.


End file.
